


Of Abductions And Other Pecularities

by mandalorian



Series: As Golden As the Sun [10]
Category: Heaven Official´s Blessing, 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: He Xuan being a troll as usual, M/M, Multi, mentioning of child abuse in chapter 2!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandalorian/pseuds/mandalorian
Summary: "...honestly Xie Lian?? -Both- of them?...the fuck?"Feng Xin witnesses an abduction. And that´s not even the most worrying part of his day.
Relationships: Hè Xuán/Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián
Series: As Golden As the Sun [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886800
Comments: 48
Kudos: 51





	1. Sinking Friendships

**Author's Note:**

> This is all [FixaIdea´s](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FixaIdea/pseuds/FixaIdea) fault. "Now I´m really curious about how Feng Xin feels about all of this," she said. "I´d love to see his face when he finds out." And then she came up with two (!) fantastic ideas about how that might actually transpire and here I am now, just having written the first one with probably two more chapters already in planning (after all there´s one more addition to Xie Lian´s harem that Feng Xin doens´t know about yet). (And yes, I have permission to use either of her ideas or both, I wouldn´t write anything if not ^^)
> 
> So onwards we go to yet traumatize more Gods.
> 
> Set somewhere roughly between parts 3 and 4.

When Feng Xin had accepted Ling Wen´s task - there have been some weird things going on right outside the border of your domain lately, probably connected to the Ghost Realm- with an at least for him uncharacteristically small grumble he sure as hell wouldn´t have thought his day would turn out like that. His finger stings uncomfortably as he hastily sketches an improvised array on the outside of Puji Shrine, the blood leaving messy streaks of crimson on the rough walls, angrily mumbling to himself.  
"Might be connected in some way to the ghost realm, she said. Just a quick little trip to gather some information first maybe, she said."

The array glows faintly golden when he finishes the final strokes, a sloppy but powerful transportation spell and Feng Xin barely takes the time to wipe his bloody fingers on his outer robe before he activates it with a calculated blast of power, still silently complaining to himself.

He had only meant to stop by Puji Shrine to ask if Xie Lian had heard anything about what Ling Wen had told him about and he hadn´t seen him in a while too, that much was true. So it sounded like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Maybe find out what´s going on and spend some time with Xie Lian, hopefully without that husband of his around. Or that bastard Mu Qing. Ever since his big confession about wanting to be f-f-friends he had been basically attached to Xie Lian´s hip, always sulking around his shrine. Annoying really but that´s Mu Qing we´re talking about, that fucker was born annoying. But instead of having a chat and maybe a nice cup of tea with the snacks he had brought Feng Xin had stepped directly into a nightmare.

Puji Shrine had been empty when he arrived, with the door unlocked and a small pile of dirty clothing outside of it, right next to an empty wash basin. Thinking logically that Xie Lian must have gone down to the stream close by to fetch some water for the washing he was apparently planning to do Feng Xin had done the same, softly humming a tune while lazily walking down the small stone path. And yes, there Xie Lian was, robes hiked up and standing up to his knees in water, bucket in hand. Feng Xin had just started to raise his hand to call out to him when he could feel the words get stuck in his throat, an icy shiver running down a spine that seemed to have turned to water. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the crystal clear stream around Xie Lian´s ankles had turned black, oozing like tar, swelling up and out until Feng Xin could see a black clad figure materialize, right behind Xie Lian who was still standing there unmoving, apparently frozen in shock.

"Dianxia!!"

His shout goes unheard and unheeded as he breaks into a run, neither Xie Lian nor the figure behind him seemingly noticing him as far up on the path as he still is. He calls to his powers, feeling them respond immediatly. But he knows he´s gonna be too late no matter what when he can see the thin black figure tightly gripping Xie Lian from behind, pulling him close, the black waters swirling around them and engulfing them completely...before suddenly dropping down again in a fine spray of droplets, like a puppet with it strings cut and when Feng Xin finally reaches the riverbank there´s no sign of what has happened just seconds before, just gentle little waves rippling around stones and a single empty bucket floating in the current.

He gives his array a last, quick once over before sighing deeply, voice mocking.

"You haven´t see His Highness in a while, grab the opportunity to go see him, spend some time together and casually ask if that fucking Crimson Rain has said anything about weird stuff happening lately, what a great idea really Feng Xin. You can be happy if you don´t get ripped apart by some automatic defense his Manor has going on, not to mention murdered via Butterfly...Xie Lian, really the things I do for you..."

With that Feng Xin takes a last breath, closes his eyes and steps through the array. The transition is immediate, nauseating and painful and his first steps are stumbling when he exits right into the heart of Paradise Manor, head dizzy from the sheer amount of power it had taken to break whatever security measures Crimson Rain had put up to prevent exactly what Feng Xin just did. He viciously rubs his temples to get rid of the dizziness as he takes a few hasty, wobbly steps to where he thinks the Devastation´s throne room must be.

"Thrice damned overpowered fucker as if anybody would actually be stupid enough to try and break into here."

"...apparently there is at least one person stupid enough to try and break into here. Though I would advise you to be more silent about it if you actually want to be undected. Not that that would be possible with how you blundered through Chengzhu´s arrays anyway."

Feng Xin squints at the person that has appeared in front of him, blocking his way -black clothes, white smiling mask, why Yin Yu still continued to serve as Crimson Rain´s guard dog was beyond him really- and pushes past him with a snort, following the swell of power he can feel emanating from ahead of him. That must be where Crimson Rain was so that was where he needed to be too...even if he would rather be anywhere else right about now. 

"Who cares about the fucking arrays, get out of my way I need to talk to Crimson Rain right now!"

Yin Yu let´s himself be pushed, feeling the swell of power from right ahead of them just as much as Feng Xin does. Chengzhu will take care of this personally so who would he be to interfere?

"..oh fuck, he´s pissed." Feng Xin thinks weakly as he reaches what seems to be the throne room, beaded curtains swaying in a gentle breeze, the air heavy with incense.

It takes all of his considerable willpower to not sink to his knees due to the sheer pressure of the force surrounding the red-clad figure stepping up in front of him, casually lifting aside the curtain obscuring the view of the room behind.

"And what pray tell," Hua Cheng´s voice is mocking and dangerous, too wide grin showing to sharp teeth underneath a burning black eye ," could have possibly happened that would justify you breaking into my own fucking house little God? Or were you just feeling suicidal today? Burden of immortality too much to bear? I´ll gladly lend a helping hand if that is the case."

"Cut the crap Crimson Rain, I sure as hell wouldn´t be here if it weren´t important! Xie Lian has...!"

He falls silent aprubtly, his gaze falling past Hua Cheng´s shoulder into the room behind him...and unto the big, black jade divan in the center of it. Which is currently seating not only Black Water Sinking Ships, stretched out like a cat in the sun, staring at him with those unsettling golden eyes but also a perfectly fine, unmolested and uninjured Xie Lian. Who apparently had been busy feeding some sweets to the Devastation sprawled across his lap.

"Gege has...?" Hua Cheng´s voice is half amusement, half still barely concealed aggression as he stares at Feng Xin, eyebrows raised.

"...been abducted by Black Water Sinking Ships?" Feng Xin suggest weakly, staring at the display in front of him, feeling a very unsettling mixture of relieved and embarassed and slightly too warm. Xie Lian blinks in return, then gently places the treat he is holding between Black Water´s lips...who catches his wrist as he tries to pull away to carefully lick whatever kind of sweetness must have been left on his fingers, making Xie Lian blush slightly and pouting, actually fucking pouting when Xie Lian lightly shoves at his shoulders so he can get up and walk over to them, slinging an arm around Hua Cheng´s middle in a gesture clearly meant to be placating.

"Ah, San Lang...I think there might have been some misunderstanding? He probably saw A-Xuan come fetch me? Apparently I work too much and had been missed..."

Feng Xin blinks twice and yet, his ears still insist on having heard Xie Lian call Black fucking Water Sinking Ships A-Xuan. Who had been laying on his lap just moments before, like this was a regular occurence, his Highness just casually cuddling with Ghost Kings now. And feeding them sweets apparently. And getting his fingers licked in what Feng Xin was sure was a totally inappropriate way, even if there wasn´t an unwilling audience nearby. And all that while in the same room as his husband, who was clearly more upset about Feng Xin disturbing their cuddle session then the fact that his gege and Black Water Sinking Ships had clearly gone way past what would be called ´friendship´. 

"Another ship he has sunk apparently." Feng Xin giggles to himself, hysteria bubbling in his stomach like fizzy wine.

"Feng Xin? Ah, I think we should better go back to Puji Shrine for a bit, hm?"

Xie Lian´s voice is gentle as he softly grabs Feng Xin´s elbow, carefully steering him back into the corridor from which he came, leaving a laughing Hua Cheng behind. There´s the soft clicking of dice, then the red, oppressive atmosphere of Paradise Manor turns into the soft mellow light of late afternoon. Xie Lian sets him down on the steps outside of his shrine and goes inside for a bit, returning with a clay cup and a jar full of something.

"Ah, here have a sip that will make you feel better I hope."

Feng Xin downs the cup, only to cough and sputter seconds later when what he expected to be plain water turns out to be some kind of strong liquor, burning even a God´s throat.  
"What the hell is this? Why do you give me turpentine to drink?"

Xie Lian smiles sheepishly, gently patting Feng Xin´s back until he has stopped coughing.

"Ah, it´s fourth uncle´s home brewed fruit liquor, he gave a jar as a present a while back. I hadn´t tasted it but you seemed like you could need it." There´s a small pause."-Are- you alright?"

"I don´t know are you?" It comes out way more vitriolic and accusatory then Feng Xin intends and he can see Xie Lian´s face twitch with uneasiness. He staves of the feeling of guilt creeping up on him, he is pretty sure he should be the wronged party here, making him -worry- like that only to find out that he was actually just getting whisked of to some kind of illicit afternoon gathering...but his voice comes out softer, more unbelieving then accusing anyway. It wasn´t Xie Lian´s fault that he jumped to the wrong conclusion after all.

"...honestly Xie Lian?? -Both- of them?...the fuck?"

"I am sorry to have worried you so."

Xie Lian´s voice is silent, the warm hand he places on Feng Xin´s arm reluctant.

Feng Xin falls silent for a moment, the hand on his arm burning like fire. But when Xie Lian tries to pull away again, he finds himself being caught in a tight grip. Feng Xin doens´t look at him, instead opting to study the scarred knuckles securely in his grasp. He knows how most of these had come to be, aquired before Xie Lian ascended for the first time, and everything aside that might have transpired between them during the years, the man sitting next to him is still his oldest friend.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."  
There is no hesitation in that answer, not even a split second of uncertainty or doubt and Feng Xin feels something inside of him contract painfully. They stare at each other for a few seconds, Xie Lian hopeful but resolute...and Feng Xin caves. In the end, all he ever wanted was for his prince to finally be happy after all, even if you would have to wrestle that admission out of his cold dead hands. Feng Xin sighs and deflates, rubbing his face with his free hand as he can feel his adrenaline finally giving out, leaving him hollow.

"...Alright then. You and Hua Cheng. And fucking Black Water, you know he killed one of our own right? Not to mention..." Feng Xin stops himself before he can really start to rant, pinching the bridge of his nose before letting go of Xie Lian and holding out his hand, gesturing for the jar of liquor standing next to them.

"Give me that god damn fucking turpentine and then shoo off before -someone- comes to grab you again, I´ve had enough heart attacks for one day. And I will totally be sleeping drunk on your doorstep so you better don´t come back here and fucking disturb me."

Xie Lian is quiet as he hands him the jar watching Feng Xin fumble with the stopper for a moment before getting up and dusting himself of.

"Thank you for worrying about me Feng Xin."

Xie Lian´s lips are the barest brush of warmth against his forehead, the same gesture of comfort he had used when they were still small and Feng Xin had spent his first nights as the Crown Prince´s companion silently crying for his mother, rolled into a pitifully small ball on his little pallet next to Xie Lian´s bed. He had hated it there, everything was new and uncomfortable and strict and lonely...until he had heard the soft rustling of bed clothes and a small figure had slipped under his blanket with him, thin arms holding him close and soft lips kissing his forehead. "It will be alright" he had said. " We will go visit your mama first thing in the morning, I tell them that I want to see her every day, I´m the prince you know they can´t tell me no" he had said and kept true to his word too, much to the chargrin of the Palace. And "We will be the very bestest of friend, right Feng Xin?"

The soft click of the dice announces Xie Lian´s departure and Feng Xin takes a big swallow out of the jar in his hand, stoically attributing the pain in his chest to the strong liquor swishing around in his belly, licking his lips as he watches the sun starting to settle, mocking lightly. 

"Thank you for worrying about me Feng Xin...yeah...as if I could just stop you know..."


	2. The Gods of Small Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gods don´t have to be powerful to be important. Feng Xin meets two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only intended Uncle Four to have a small cameo in "Sinking Friendships" just as a little special easter egg for the peeps who have read Módào Zǔshī...but then [neuromantic](https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/neuromantic/pseuds/neuromantic) made a comment about having the head canon that "fourth uncle, after dying at burial mounds, ascended and was made the god of makeshift alcohol. Fruit wine from Evil Orchards, moonshine, potato vodka... fourth uncle rules over it all." 
> 
> Which I liked very much as you might have guessed by the fact that I made a little, unplanned interlude ficlet out of it ^^"
> 
> And then I added Granny and made it Sad™
> 
> BEWARE THE WARNING! Mention of child abuse !

Feng Xin makes his way though the market place, skillfully side stepping bumbling ox carts and vendors hawking their wares in front of their shops, handing out samples in a desperate bid to lure customers into entering. Market day in the capital was always bustling and today it was especially busy, the balmy weather enticing even more people to leave their houses and do some shopping then usual. Feng Xin idly looks at some stalls, contemplates a pretty dark blue jade comb for a bit before slowly walking along. He isn´t in search of anything, he just felt like being out for a bit, mingling unseen in his disguise as Nan Feng.

He has just about decided to go sit at one of the many food stalls all around the place, the smell of their fare making his stomach grumble. But before he can grab one of the few seats -the place is packed that means the food is either cheap or good, Feng Xin hopes for the later- when he can see an old, red faced man running in his direction, huffing and puffing with the effort of keeping up with him in the tightly crowded market place.

"Young man! Hey, you over there!"

Feng Xin looks behind himself, sees no one else but a young serving girl, and makes a questioning ´who, me?´gesture at the old man who has finally managed to manouver himself close.

"Yes you! Ah, I am too old for this." 

He huffs and puffs for a few moments longer, wiping his forehead with a truly ridiculously big handkerchief, before he fumbles something out of his sleeve.

"Feng Xin right? That sweet young prince asked me to deliver you a few more of these, he said you enjoyed the one I left with him quite thorougly. And you never know when you might need a little pick me up after all, right?"

A simple Quiankun pouch gets thrust into Feng Xin´s face and he reflexively grabs the thing, blinking uncomprehending at the older man in front of him. He can feel that he is talking to a God, though not a very powerful one but for the life of him can´t recall ever having seen him in the Heavens. A quick look into the pouch does give him a vague idea of who he might be dealing with though, it´s full with tightly sealed liquor jars of the same color and make as the one he had emptied on Xie Lian´s porch not too long ago.

"Ah...thank you Lord...?"

The honorific hangs between them in a slightly awkward way, squirming slightly in the air as Feng Xin helplessly smiles at the old man. He just hopes he didn´t just offend him horribly...but the God in front of him just chuckles, patting him on the arm in a decidely grandfatherly way that makes Feng Xin think of sticky sweets, layered in a little bit of dust and pinched cheeks.

"Ah just Uncle Four is perfectly fine my boy, or just Uncle if you prefer, you young ones are always in a hurry now a days after all, no time to appreciate the finer things in life anymore. Like a good wine for example..or a fine little woman."

Feng Xin, to his never ending horror, gets winked at in a conspiratory way that makes him cringe a little, like when the family elder had a few cups too much to drink at the feast and starts making winky eyes at the giggling serving girls...and now the rosy cheeks and happy smile make sense to him, this Uncle must have sampled his own wares quite thoroughly before presenting them to Feng Xin after all. A soft gentle voice behind them safes Feng Xin from finding some kind of appropriate answer to that and he turns slightly to have a good look at the newcomer.

"Come now you old fool, leave that sweet young man be, he surely is busy doing important things and the little ones are getting tired."

An equally small, shrunken old lady appears from behind them, stone gray hair tight up in a simple bun and Feng Xin can feel her Godhood radiating from her in gentle, soft waves, calming and comforting. A small group of raggedy children is trailing behind her, hiding behind her skirt and staring at Feng Xin with huge, dark eyes, a toddler sleeping in her arms with arms akimbo, a little string of drool hanging from his mouth. It would be an adorable picture...if Feng Xin could not see the dried blood on the face of one little girl hiding behind her, half her face caved in in what must have been a single, but devastating blow. And while the toddler in her arms doens´t show injuries that gruesome his skin is deathly pale and he does not breath. The longer he looks the more children he can see clinging to her, bare shadows even less than a ghost fire trailing behind her like goslings after their mother.

"Yes yes Granny, I´m coming already. Hand me that rascal would you, you have been carrying him all this time and you´re not getting younger my old girl."

With that, the old man gently takes the toddler from her arms -Feng Xin can see the strangulation marks around his throat as he moves him, finger shaped bruises forever embedded into his pallid skin- tutting a little as the child frowns in his sleep, gently rocking him until he is calm again.

"Well boy, duty calls as you can see. Have fun with my wine and if you need more just tell the little prince, he knows where to find me yes?"

Feng Xin nods silently, throat tight as he watches the goddess gently beckon for the shadowy little figures still hiding behind corners and under tables, eyes scrunched close in the hopes that a world that they can´t see won´t be able to see them either, scared by the loud noises and too many big people milling around on the plaza. She´s patient but relentless until they all have come to her, hiding underneath her skirt and apron and in the shawl around her neck, some shyly gripping for the old man´s robes instead.

"Come my little ones, time to go home, our Lords are waiting and it is time for you to go to sleep..."

She smiles beningly at Feng Xin in parting, a promise of only soft things to come, of safety and love before she turns around and they both get lost in the crowd after a last wave goodbye to Feng Xin, their little band of lost souls trailing behind them.  
It takes an awful long time until Feng Xin finally moves again, stepping through the crowd with his eyes unseeing still, every inkling of appetite lost in the memory of too big eyes and too pale faces. 

Uncle was right, he thought. He really could use some of his wine right about now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lords they´re talking about are of course WangXian...having reached immortality and settled in the Burial Mounds they´ll make sure that all the little ones Granny collects will find their peace. What use would demonic cultivation be otherwise...


	3. Green Eyed Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two are company, three are a crowd. And four are a fucking nuisance, at least in Feng Xin´s book. And don´t even get him started on five...
> 
> or 
> 
> Ling Wen is relentless™

It turns out that finding out about your best friend´s questionable choice in partners by accident –multiple partners, very dead and very dangerous, really Xie Lian what the hell were you thinking??- and the subsequent trauma going hand in hand with that discovery still was no reason to shirk your duties. According to Ling Wen at least. Who had insisted that, since Feng Xin had initially accepted the assignment to investigate some mysterious disappearances right outside his domain, he needed to go through with it too…and who had crisply pointed out that one more Devastation class ghost King tagging along in full protector mode might not be the worst thing too, since the prayers concerning those disappearances had grown increasingly more frantic, startling even the notoriously slow-to-react Heavenly Bureaucracy into action. Feng Xin had just given up arguing at this point, there simply was no reasoning with Ling Wen when it came to her beloved paperwork…even if that meant he had to seek out Xie Lian and his ghostly shadows again a lot earlier then he would have liked.

(In his nightmares the image of that pale mouth and pink tongue licking Xie Lian´s fingers clean would haunt him forever, Feng Xin was absolutely positive about that. Not even all the wine that Uncle Four could provide could make that particular memory go away..)

And so it came to be that, one nice sunny mid-morning in late summer, Feng Xin was busy digging through the rabble in some half collapsed cave or other which seemed to be the center of a mysterious foggy and very unsavory presence lingering in the small mountain valley they had identified as the apparent center of the problem. Which he would not have minded even half as much if he had been alone during his task, or maybe just with Xie Lian as company…but of course, asking him for information about anything happening in the Ghost Realm had led to Xie Lian asking fucking Crimson Rain who in turn had asked that creepy, deranged Black Water. Neither of the Ghost Kings had been able to dig anything specific up but since Xie Lian had decided to come along and find out what was happening, both of them decided to come to. Naturally. As if two Martial Gods in the prime of their power might not be enough to face whatever they might encounter here, probably nothing more than some feral ghost stealing kids from the valleys around this place. 

Feng Xin takes a moment to glower at the other beings crowding his cave even though it is way to dark for them to see it…even if anybody would actually pay attention to him of course. Black Water had luckily taken of already, the small, claustrophobic dark cave very obviously not to his taste, deciding to go investigate the mountain lake and small streams close by. They could hear –and in his case feel- water running behind the rough stones and most of the disappearances that had occurred had been close to bodies of water so it made sense for him to go there instead of sticking with them. Feng Xin had very deliberately ignored the worried look on Xie Lian´s face when it was obvious how uncomfortable the Devastation had been in the narrow cave, having theoretical knowledge of their relationship was enough for him, he really didn´t care to see the evidence of it being played out in front of him. And as uncomfortable as He Xuan clearly was it was easy to see how torn he was between getting the hell out and staying, his very obvious need to protect Xie Lian overpowering even his discomfort…in the end it had taken Crimson Rain bodily shoving him outside, his voice low and insistent and Black Water´s reply equal parts angry and concerned before he had taken off, leaving the four of them behind.

Yes, the four of them.

His glower intensifies, the next piece of rock crumbling in his grip.

It made sense for the Devastations to be here, protective as they were, not to mention that this clearly was a problem stemming from some ghost or other having forgotten their place…but he sure as hell could not think of even one. Single. Reason. Why that bastard Mu Qing of all people might feel the need to tag along. How the hell had he even known what they were going to do today? Feng Xin sure as hell hadn´t told him, every day without seeing that scowly visage a good one in his book and Ling Wen usually didn´t hand out the same assignment to two people. Especially not if they were on notoriously bad terms with each other, like Feng Xin and Mu Qing tended to be.

“He probably sulked around Puji Shrine again, overhearing Dianxia talk about it. “

Yeah, that made sense to Feng Xin. The bastard was down here more often then not after all, after he seemingly patched up his relationship with Xie Lian. It had been months since the last time he had been to Feng Xin´s palace for one of their usually pretty regular meetings, they did have neighboring territories after all, it just made sense to discuss stuff together every now and then…even if these discussions usually ended with a fight and some property destruction. Which Feng Xin didn´t mind really, as much as he couldn´t stand that eye rolling bastard. They both were Martial Gods and fighting was in their blood, a little spar never having hurt anybody really. It had been long enough since their last…´exchange of opinions´ that Feng Xin was honestly starting to feel a little rusty. Not that he´d ever admit to that, it sounded way too much like him ´missing´ their little alterations for comfort after all. Which he doens´t of course, it was just a little extra training, that´s all.

And it was pretty obvious that –he- hadn´t been missed in any way or form either, Mu Qing barely acknowledging him aside from a barely audible grunt that might have been his version of a polite greeting, too busy fawning around their Prince as he was.

“You´d think he´d want to be more then just f-f-f-friends with how he´s been surgically attached to Dianxia lately…what a horrifying thought.” 

He absentmindely studies a piece of rock that seems to have some writing on it, chicken scratch symbols barely visible in the low light of their palm flares and the faint silver glow of Crimson Rain´s Butterflies.

"Dianxia, would you come here for a moment please? This looks familar but I can´t read it..."

His prince looks up from where he had been studying some weirdly discolored pieces of rock together with Crimson Rain, Mu Qing standing close by, holding up flares in both hands so they could see better. The discolorations had looked deliberate, maybe part of an old mural, Xie Lian had mused, but very hard to make out. Feng Xin knew in fact what kind of writing he was looking at on the stone fragments he found -some very old and very obscure and very outdated- symbols used for spells and incantations once upon a time and he sincerely doubted that Xie Lian could read it either...he was just annoyed about how he had been all but ignored by everybody mostly all day, even though this was his assignment and they were just tagging along, and that completely unbidden too.

Xie Lian is warm against his shoulder when he hunches down next to him, nose scrunched up in that frankly adorable expression of concentrated curiosity he got whenever there was a mystery to solve. Feng Xin´s day is starting to look just the tiniest little bit better and he leans closer still, pretending to do so just that Xie Lian had better lighting to see by.

"Hm...yes, that does look like writing? I think I remember something looking like that from one of Guoshi´s books about..I don´t know, was it fairytales? A collection of old spells and stories of some form or another, it´s been too long I can´t remember the details. And I don´t think I have ever seen any kind of translation for this. Whatever it is, it is old, these books were ancient even back then."

He has been playing with the stone piece while inspecting it, twiddling it this way and that way and Feng Xin can see in the way his body turns slightly that the next thing he will do is call for fucking Crimson Rain who for some reason or other seems to have evolved into their Crown Prince´s own personal walking library of curiosities. Feng Xin can feel his mood drop again.

"There we go again...he didn´t even ask -me- if I had any opinion on the thing at all, I was there studying with him and saw and read the exact same books as he did. Not that it would matter anyway apparently.."

But before Xie Lian can open his mouth and call for his Hua Cheng, Mu Qing makes a soft noise of surprise, raising one of his hands a little higher to illuminate a dark little niche close to the narrow ceiling of the cave.

"...it looks like there is something stuck back there? A-Cheng, could you lend me a hand please, I can´t reach."

Feng Xin startles and whips around as if he has just been struck by lightning, hissing in pain as the movement makes his head collide roughly with the wall, making him see stars for a second.

"Ah Feng Xin, are you alright?"

Neither the worry in Xie Lian´s voice nor his warm hands gently cradling his head and carefully carding through his hair, looking for any injuries, can penetrate through Feng Xin´s confusion though.  
...-What- had that bastard just called Crimson fucking Rain? ´A-Cheng´? ...no, that -can´t- be right he must have heard wrong, they fucking hate each other´s guts even more so then Feng Xin and Mu Qing abhor each other...but there they are, with Crimson Rain lifting Mu Qing up until he is basically sitting on his shoulder, carefully supporting him by the waist so he doens´t fall. As if this was just an everyday occurence for them to be nice to each other, without any kind of complaint or their usual biting commentaries...

"What the actual...!"

But before Feng Xin can even finish his curse or his thought, several things happen at once. With a triumphant "Hah, I knew it, there was something stuck in there, it looks like a piece of parchment? Made out of skin or something, let me get it out..." Mu Qing pulls something small and flat from the nook, blinking dazedly as the object in his hand suddenly starts to glow. At the same time, He Xuan reappears at the cave entrance, dripping water all over the floor with his hair in disarray, looking hurried and distressed, eyes widening in alarm as he lunges for Mu Qing, trying to take the by now happily burning item from his hand.

"No! Don´t! It´s a..."

`Seal´ Feng Xin´s brain helpfully supplies as He Xuan´s shout gets lost in sudden rumbling, the stone beneath their feet starting to shift...and then, all hell breaks loose, and the last instinctive thought Feng Xin has is to throw himself over Xie Lian, tugging his head close to his chest before the world gets drowned out by the screech of Butterflies and the sound of something Big crashing through the cave walls...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody asked for a cliffhanger? No worry, I provide...^^ (it was either that or no chapter tonight cause I am tired and it would have gotten too long anyway)
> 
> And XuaXua isn´t the only troll around ;-)


	4. Hell´s Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feng Xin has a headache. He Xuan´s diet leaves much to be desired.

When Feng Xin slowly swims back to wakefulness it is to the sensation of fingers carding through his hair again...though this time the spiritual energy accompanying the fingers isn’t that of Xie Lian but Mu Qing. That Bastard. But for once he can’t bring himself to care, he hurts and for a few moments he just lays there, soaking up the warmth. Until his brain finally starts working properly again and the memories of what has happened comes crushing back. Crushing like that ceiling... 

„Dianxia?“ his voice is sluggish and laced with the beginnings of panic and he tries to sit up…until he can hear a familiar voice somewhere above him, gently pushing him back down. 

„Stay still, dammit. Xie Lian is fine…mostly thanks to you as much as I hate to admit, you took the brunt of that cave collapsing. You look like someone mistook you for a berry and tried to make you into jam, smushed and kinda icky.“

Feng Xin contemplates if the insult is worth trying to speak again but his last try has left him reeling already so he just slightly wobbles his left hand in a vague but rude gesture . Mu Qing harumphs above him, amused.

"Yes yes I know, ´Still prettier then you on a good day then, asshole´. Don´t overextert yourself" 

Feng Xin leans back again, feeling accomplished by his obvious eloquence letting the spiritual energy being provided for him do it´s magic..but then the fingers in his hair grow slower, the voice above him slightly hesitant. 

„You -are- bruised up pretty bad but should be able to heal by yourself soon…want me to stop? „

„…stop now and I’ll never talk a single word to you ever again. „

„So. Tempting.“

The voice above him is dry as the desert wind but Feng Xin can hear the humor underneath anyway…and the slow wandering of fingers start again, the gentle flow of spiritual power easing his headache. He hasn´t been able to open his eyes yet -even thinking is making his head spin- and he can feel the sun on his face, the brighntess seeping even through his closed eyes. There are soft voices somewhere in the background -Crimson Rain sounding worried and Xie Lian reassuring him he guesses, they speak too softly for him to make out words- and finally musters up the energy to speak.

"Mu Qing?"

"Yes?"

"What the ever loving hell happened?"

The only thing he can remember is something burning, with a -dare he say- panicked He Xuan reaching for it and the thunderous roar or something big, overshadowed by the screech of butterflies.

"Well..I think the short version is that we woke up something that should have stayed asleep? Something big and ugly and old..."

It takes a while for Mu Qing to recount what had actually happened after Feng Xin had passed out, courtesy to half a ton of rocks falling on him. As it turned out, the thing Mu Qing had pulled from the crevice had been a seal, in fact it had been the last little piece of a whole sealing array centered around that cave and the subterranian waterways beneath it that had still been functioning, the rest of the ancient array having been destroyed in what probably had been an earthquake not too long ago.   
The earthquake had destroyed most of the already crumbling array in the cave -He Xuan had found more of it underwater, just as ancient and indecipherable as the stuff in the cave but obvious enough in it´s intent that he had gotten worried- allowing the Being trapped in it to extent some small part of his power, using the water around it to pull those poor missing villagers into his den. What had broken through the walls of the cave, got described by Mu Qing as `an eldritch abomination of a nightmare straight out of the seven hells. With tentacles. And teeth. So. Many. Teeth.´ and Feng Xin decides that, as lacking as that desription might be in a scientific sense, it was vivid enough for him to not ask for more details. 

While Mu Qing talks, faint impressions limp their way back into Feng Xin´s brain. Pressure, for once, probably the ceiling pressing down on him and the feeling of laying right across someone he loved, power burning like the sun against his skin. Which must have been Xie Lian, trapped underneath him and using his spiritual energy to keep them from getting crushed even more. The nightmarish screech of Hua Cheng´s butterflies is another thing he remembers and as close as he was to the Power that was Xie Lian even his considerable energy could not block out the pure, unadultered and unhinged killing intent of the two Devastations, battling whatever it was they had freed. 

Even now the memories make Feng Xin´s skin crawl, as faint and vague as they might be: Crimson Rain Seeking Flower had been pure Chaos, unfettered rage burning white hot while Black Water Sinking Ships had felt like despair, like skin slipping from bloated, clammy fingers, an Abyss waiting for you to become yet another dead thing for the Behemoth that lies beneath to feed from. Feng Xin can´t decide which is worse.. he just knows that he never wants to be that close again when something triggers them like this. 

Mu Qing only had a vague idea on what had happened after that-"too busy dragging your ass and Dianxia out of that cave, we needed to get out of their range of action for them to be able to let go and fight properly"- and the only thing he knows is that at some point, Hua Cheng had driven his Butterflies right into the earth beneath them instead of keeping up their attack on the Abomination, opening up the underground river system for He Xuan to use...and that right after, the Beast´s roar had been overshadowed by something even louder, ghastly white coils that rose from the now black waters, sinking bone white teeth as long as a man´s arm into it´s flesh, pulling it deeper and deeper until all that was left were a few, chewed on looking pieces floating to the surface and a lingering odor of brine. 

Hua Cheng had immediately turned around the moment it was clear that He Xuan had under control whatever they were battling, hurrying to Xie Lian´s side instead to fuss over his husband. Black Water had crawled out of the now peaceful waters at some point, making his way over to them leaving a wet trail of -something- in his wake, unceremoniously dropping into the grass besides Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, looking exhausted.

Feng Xin shakes himself a little, finally finding the energy to sit, body propped up against a silently complying Mu Qing - he really must look like shit if the bastard was-that- docile- and carefully opens an eye, taking in the scene in front of him.

Xie Lian is still in Hua Cheng´s lap - no surprise there, really- looking a little worse for wear around the edges but mostly in a dusty way, not an injured one. He must have bled a little at some point, Feng Xin can see the droplets on his robe, but Crimson Rain must have patched him up the same as Mu Qing did with him. The Devastation still has the faint taste of killing intent around him, his singular eye wide and fully black, his aura prickly and spiky, like a cat with it´s fur standing on end but he doens´t seem to be injured. 

And Black Water...Black Water is laying in the soft grass, sprawled out like a starfish, moaning softly.

"..what the hell even was that thing?" Hua Cheng asks him after a while, as if he had just remembered that they still didn´t know what had actually appeared in that cave, still focusing on picking out stone splinters and questionable soft pieces out of Xie Lian´s hair and carefully making sure there weren´t anymore injuries then the few cuts and bruises you could see on his hands and face, despite Feng Xin taking the brunt of the collapsing ceiling for him.

"Don´t know. Don´t care." He Xuan burps lightly "It tasted like sea bass and anise. Very -old- sea bass." He provides helpfully, smacking his lips. 

Hua Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose, obviously lost for words here for a moment. Feng Xin, weirdly, gets a flash of sympathy for the Devastation. If that was how Black Water was on a daily basis, Crimson Rain was a lot more patient then Feng Xin had ever given him credit for.

"...you don´t know and yet you -ate- it? And you better not be kissing any of us with that mouth."

Oh. So that was what had happened. Feng Xin very deliberately tries to not think about what that implies about He Xuan´s true form then, the non-human Water Demon skin he is rumoured to have but that nobody who could tell the tale had ever seen. Black Water just shrugs, a feat laying flat on his back as he does.

"It was trying to hurt you...and everything is edible at least once if you try hard enough."

He can hear the grin in Black Water´s voice, clearly not concerned about his unconventional dinner choice in the slightest and Feng Xin was sure that, if Hua Cheng didn´t have a lap full of bruised and battered Dianxia right now, Black Water would have least gotten a kick for that.

"Sometimes A-Xuan, just sometimes I really don´t know why I even bother."

"Because you looooove me..." He Xuan´s voice is a happy singsong, followed by a giggle and him trying, unsuccsessfully, to catch a bee that had been passing by. Maybe for dessert, Feng Xin thinks, head pounding mercilessly...but apparently, as creepy and deranged and plain old crazy as Black Water Sinking Ships usually appeared to be this behaviour seemed to be off even for him. He can see Xie Lian and Crimson Rain exchange a look of pure concern before Hua Cheng rises, carefully helping Xie Lian to his feet.

"A-Xuan are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Xie Lian slowly walks over to the Devastation still happily humming to himself, closely followed by Crimson Rain who squats down next to He Xuan to gently grab his wrist and feel for his spiritual energy.

"Hm...how am I feeling? Full, honestly and kinda sparkly? Tired? All of the above. Maybe I ate some of your Butterflies too A-Cheng, what do they taste like?"

Hua Cheng ignores the question, instead gently picking him up, He Xuan instantly going limp in his arms like a ragdoll, golden eyes dull and sleepy. He´s buzzing to Feng Xin´s senses, feeling like the oncoming rush of waves heralding the storm, drenched in the scent of brine and an elemental kind of wetness, eliciting fresh waves of pain from his head and making him squint in the bright sunlight, everything slightly fuzzy around the edges. 

"It doens´t seem to be something truly threatening but his spiritual energy is all over the place, it´s like touching an eletric eel. We should take him home to Black Water Manor, being in his own domain should help him become normal again faster. Or as normal as he ever gets I suppose."

Hua Cheng must either be truly tired or truly worried, allowing his concern to show through even that sorry excuse of a jab, for once his attention solely on the Devastation in his arms instead of the God next to him.

"Feng Xin is injured..."

Xie Lian´s voice is soft with just the barest hint of pain underlaying it and Feng Xin can see the conflict in his face even with only one half opened eye. Take care of Feng Xin who got injured protecting him..or stay with He Xuan, whom he loves and who also got injured -well, kinda- doing the same...Feng Xin sighs internally. He knows when he should just give up a fight before it even starts...and honestly, he just wants to go back to his Palace, take some medicine and sleep. And as much as he loves Xie Lian and would want him to tag along, their Prince is also -fussy- when they´re injured...and Feng Xin really just wants to rest.

"It´s alright Dianxia, I look worse then I feel," a blatant lie that gets a raised eyebrow from Mu Qing and Xie Lian alike but luckily no comment. "All I need is a bit of rest, Mu Qing can take me back home, you make sure those natural desasters you call your husbands don´t flatten another mountainside. The effect they have on their surroundings can be quite..devastating. "

He even manages to make the last bit sound appropriately haughty, earning a little huffed laugh from Xie Lian for his trouble. Nothing but a little ill advised humour to convince Xie Lian he´ll be alright, right?

"If you say so...I´ll take my leave then. Thank you for protecting me. " Again, Xie Lian´s lips are warm on his forehead when he leans in for a soft kiss, the sun reflecting brightly on his white robes as he moves, making Feng Xin shut them again instinctively before Xie Lian leans in even closer, apparently bestowing the same friendly gesture upon Mu Qing.

"I´ll see you later?"

"I´ll drop by once I´ve got this useless bag of meat here settled in...hey! Asshole."

Mu Qing returns the pinch Feng Xin gave him for that in kind -gently, very carefully, more like a tickle then a pinch but Xie Lian might still be looking after all- before he hoists him up like a sack of flour, powers starting to swirl around them as he opens a way home.

"Asshole yourself," mumbles Feng Xin, drained by moving and speaking and already half asleep again, face securely tucked against the bastards shoulder. 

And for once, neither of their curses have any kind of bite to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...nooooo Xie Lian did not lean in for a -second- friendly forehead kiss ^^ Feng Xin will find that out soon.


	5. So Bad It Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once more, with Feeling(s)™

Feng Xin is fuming as he marches up the last few steps oft he mountain path to Puji Shrine, face red with indignation and the still surprising warmth of the late summer sun already hanging high up in the sky. It´s going to be a hot day today, humid and sweltering…this is why they had agreed to meet up before sunrise to clean up the mess the two Devastations had left behind at the collapsed cave. 

It was never a good idea to leave random bits of spells and incantations lying around, as much in shambles as the ones in the cave were after Crimson Rain and Black Water had been done with whatever had been shackled there. They still didn´t know what exactly the thing had been, even Ling Wen having to admit defeat due to how ancient the writing had been. And nobody had felt particularly inclined to go ask the only one who was old enough to maybe know, seeing as that person was being imprisoned under a mountain themselves, together with their Guoshi.

“That creepy Black Water Sinking Ships might eat everything that fits his maw, he sure as hell isn´t very tidy about it though…gooey things all over the place and the heat sure as hell does not help with the smell, not at all.”

Feng Xin unconsciously wipes his hand on his robes again, even though he had washed them very, very thoroughly before, the stink of rotting monster parts still overpowering in his nose. Would it have been too much to ask for if it had actually been a Ghost as they initially had thought? At least these don´t leave festering bits all over the landscape. And despite the unappetizing situation, the earliness of the day and the pain still lingering in his bones Feng Xin had been there on time with a small entourage of his attendants, still moving a little more carefully then usual, the last of his bruises having faded to a very unattractive yellowish-green by now.

The only one missing had been that bastard Mu Qing.

“And for once I thought we might actually be having a good moment here, he didn´t even just drop me on my doorstep after taking me back up to the Heaven´s as he would usually do but insisted on tagging along and making sure I was settled and properly medicated, as if he would actually care…yeah, as if. And you have only yourself to blame for the disappointment you stupid fool, you should have known better…”

His already downturned mouth grows even more bitter, then pained when kicking after a pebble makes something in his leg pinch uncomfortably, making Feng Xin stumble on the steep path. He should have known better. And yet it still hurt getting tossed aside casually again, even after all these centuries of them fighting like cat and dog.

“Doens´t matter, don´t care,” he tries to convince himself, “matter of fact is this was official business, assigned by the Heavens and he didn´t even care enough to actually do his fucking duty for once, having me pick up after him as usual.”  
Feng Xin sighs, slowing down a bit while pushing a few annoying strands of hair back. All personal things aside, business was business and that fucking bastard Mu Qing deserved to get a new one ripped for this. If only for Feng Xin to feel better, after all screaming at Mu Qing, especially when he was in the right, usually did the job.

He had tried Mu Qing´s Palace first to no avail of course, his attendants having no idea where he might be either. But Feng Xin had…

_"I´ll see you later?" "I´ll drop by once I´ve got this useless bag of meat here settled in...hey! Asshole."_

Where else could Mu Qing be but sticking to their Prince´s heels like the dog he was? It wasn´t exactly news that he´d cast aside anyone and anything if Xie Lian so much as just glanced in his direction, clearly prioritizing him above everything else. Like duties or sometimes-friends like Feng Xin. 

And so he had done –his- duty, cleaning up the mess around the cave with his poor attendants cowering around him as he fumed and cursed and burnt monster meat, feeding the anger in his core until he felt ready to bust with it. He had gone directly to Puji Shrine afterwards, hoping to find Mu Qing there by himself, maybe together with Xie Lian. Hua Cheng had wanted to take Black Water back to his domain to sleep off whatever weird effect his unplanned dinner had had on him, so hopefully he was still busy babysitting.

Feng Xin can feel the rage clawing at his throat as he enters the shrine´s little courtyard, marching straight to the closed door and giving it a few angry knocks…well, punches to be honest and only the sturdiness of the door and the engraved seals prevent it from getting knocked right off it´s hinges. He can feel that the shrine is not empty and that there is more than one person inside, the seals and spells layered around it preventing him from sensing any details. Not that he cares to be honest.

“Mu Qing! You fucking bastard, if you are hiding in there get your fucking ass out here so I can fucking murder you, you thrice damned son of a mangy bitch! Or I swear to all the Ancient ones I will tear down this door and come get you myself!”

The poor door creaks pitifully under his relentless pounding, curse after colorful curse accompanying the banging. Feng Xin can hear something inside rumble and fall, voices muttering in the background before the door in front of him gets ripped open, his fist nearly punching Mu Qing right in the face.

“Holy fucking hell asshole, stop screaming like your bastard ass is on fire and be silent, we just managed to get him to sleep…”

Mu Qing unceremoniously tries to push him back a little to close the door behind himself but Feng Xin doesn´t move. He in fact, does shut up, which seems to be enough to keep Mu Qing from trying again, opting to lean against the doorjamb instead, arms crossed, face scowling fiercely and voice dripping with acid.

“Did that collapsing cave permanently damage something in your brain? Not that there´s much to damage but would you kindly explain why you´re here shouting like a fucking madman? Oi! Earth to bastard!”

When Feng Xin still doesn´t reply Mu Qing´s scowl slips a little, his brows dipping down in concern for a split second.

“Feng Xin? –Did- you get hit in the head by something?”

“…why are you wearing Xie Lian´s underpants?”

Mu Qing´s eyes go wide at that and he hastily seems to take stock of himself: Naked from the waist up, wearing nothing but too short, old white underpants with a slightly off white wonky patch sewn to one knee. And you would not need to be a professional seamstress to deduce that the patch job has been done by someone enthusiastic but talentless. Or that these pants obviously belong to someone smaller and more slender around the waist then Mu Qing.

“Oh.”

They stare at each other for a moment, both lost for words. Feng Xin thinks that, even though it has been a while since they trained together and shared the communal bathrooms back at the temple, he still is pretty sure that those multicolored spots littering Mu Qing´s chest aren´t supposed to be there. And they look way to deliberate to be accidental, following the line of his collarbone on both sides and dotting his throat. And some look less then bruises and more like someone had mistook Mu Qing for a treat. A very chewable treat.

“Feng Xin I can expl-“

“Are these hickeys? And bite marks?”

Feng Xin interrupts rudely, eyes still glued to the display in front of him, eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. There´s a system to the bite marks too and same as with the hickeys the bruises around them show all colors of the rainbow, from fresh bright red to barely visible, old greenish-yellow.

_(“A-Xuan, you can´t just go out like-! A-Xuan!”  
“Gege heed your own advice first please!” Hua Cheng´s voice sounds slightly pained, followed by the sound of more rustling.  
“But…!”  
“No but, clothes first. Even Black Water won´t be able to do more then munch on the idiot for a bit in the time that´ll take.”)_

“Who the hell bit you?” Feng Xin is truly unsure if he should be scandalized, worried or disgusted, opting for a mix of all three.

“I did. Problem, little God?”

Feng Xin lifts his gaze from his friend´s bruised and bitten chest…only to regret that decision immediately, coming eye to eye with a pair of burning golden eyes. And the Devastation they´re attached to. Who apparently has had enough of him making a scene at the front door, wrapping his arms around Mu Qing from behind and pulling him close…which for once is a thing Feng Xin is ridiculously grateful for, because Black Water hasn´t even bothered to put on pants, neither someone else´s nor his own.

“So this is how he managed to keep himself hidden all these year without ever running out of energy to do so. He cut the seals right into his skin, probably drawing the power to uphold them directly from his domain instead from his own core. No wonder he never participated in anything that would have him remove his clothes when he was still posing as the Earthmaster. And we all just thought he was a terrible prude….” Feng Xin thinks, absentmindedly studying the Devastation´s chest. Abstract waves in dark ink run over his upper arms, dripping down his collarbones and chest, all flowing together into a single, nasty looking seal right over his central core, smaller sigils nestling between the waves on the major accupoints. Feng Xin can see ink running down his sides too, seemingly changing as he looks at them, ever moving like the current…and quickly tears his gaze away before he can find out –how- far down Black Water Sinking Ship´s tattoos actually go.

Feng Xin gets spared trying to find an answer to Black Water´s question by Xie Lian finally appearing from the backroom – fully clothed thankfully, even though the pants he´s wearing are too big and black and the white robes hastily thrown over them half open- brandishing a set of black expensive looking robes like a weapon, a slightly harassed but amused looking Hua Cheng following close behind.

“He Xuan. Clothes. Now.”

Oh. Feng Xin knows –that- tone, as rare as it is coming out of Xie Lian´s mouth and all three of them, two Gods and one Devastation, instinctively duck their heads, feigning innocence. Luckily it´s Black Water Sinking Ships that has awoken their Prince´s ire and even his mumbled, trying-for-pathetic “But A-Lian, he´s so annoying! I´m still sick and had just managed to fall asleep and he woke me up again..” manages to distract Xie Lian from bundling him up in his robes and shoving him –gently but resolutely- in the general direction of Hua Cheng. Black Water does manage to pull Mu Qing along by the back of his too small pants though, ignoring the surprised “Hey!” he gets for that.

“San Lang, -please- take them home. And A-Xuan you are supposed to rest, if you follow me here again I –will- be angry with you.”

Apparently that threat is enough to even get Devastation Class Ghost Kings to behave because the only thing Xie Lian gets in return is a very proper “Yes Dianxia” from Black Water Sinking Ships, sounding surprisingly small for someone so---well, -him- before Crimson Rain drags both of them back into Xie Lian´s backroom, the click of his dice loud in the sudden silence. Xie Lian sighs deeply, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his customary gentle smile back in place.

“I apologize for the,” he gestures helplessly at nothing and the empty space behind him in particular,” …well, I apologize. A-Xuan is still feeling quite unwell after he ate whatever was in that cave, he has been switching between barely conscious and manic ever since and managed to slip away from San Lang to come here last night. We had just managed to get him to sleep when you woke him up again.”

His smile is a little pained around the edges, awkwardly fumbling with his robes to get them to close properly. Xie Lian might still be a little naïve in some things but even he must know that, considering their appearance and the general air of exhaustion surrounding him, it must be very obvious to Feng Xin exactly how they managed to tire out a hyperactive He Xuan enough to fall asleep. But as flabbergasting as this particular fact might still be, there´s still something else on Feng Xin´s mind.

“Xie Lian?”

“…yes?”

“What the ever loving hell was Mu Qing doing here?”

Xie Lian smiles sheepishly, his cheeks a faint rosy color by now.

“Ah…I..well I think that was quite obvious? Kinda? Considering?”

“Considering –what-? That apparently even two Devastation Class Ghost Kings aren´t enough, you had to add Mu Qing of all people to your…your…harem too? And same as with Black Water you didn´t even think it necessary to tell me about it? I had to go and find out by accident –again-?”

If Feng Xin is good at something it is holding onto his anger and redirecting it to something or someone else if necessary. And right now, that nasty hot ball inside him is churning, voice loud and clearly unhappy as he lays into Xie Lian.

“ I mean I get it, everybody gets their second and third and fourth chance but me but I have known you since you were –five-, you´d think even with all that passed between us I would at least be worthy of some kind of consideration! Why does –he- get all this when I love you just as much and get nothing! He left you too! Way before I did! Why was he allowed to come back?”

Feng Xin can feel tears starting to build up in his eyes but for once in his life he does not care about how weak that might make him look. This particular wound has been festering for too long to keep contained much longer and now that it has been opened it needs to be drained.

“Why is one small confession of wanting to be friends enough to be forgiven but nothing I do or say ever changes anything? I was your friend long before he ever entered the picture and yet the only thing I get are the polite smiles and empty gestures and he gets –everything- you have to share. Including, apparently, your bed and your lovers.”

Feng Xin´s voice breaks too much at this point to continue ranting, staring silently and defiantly into his Prince´s face...who is looking at him with wide, shocked eyes, hand half raised as if to touch him, only to fall helplessly at his side again.

“…I thought you knew. About Mu Qing. Feng Xin, I –kissed- him when he was right next to you, your face barely a hand´s width away! You didn´t say anything, but you were hurt and in pain and I thought you just wanted to go back home and we´d talk properly later, when you were feeling better.”

Feng Xin blinks in confusion, distracted from his tears and aching heart for a moment. When the hell had Xie Lian kissed Mu Qing? He would have surely remembered something like –that- no matter what state he had been in…and then it hits him. Back at the cave, when he had been propped up in Mu Qing´s arms after being hurt. Xie Lian had leaned forward to kiss his forehead, the shift of sunlight reflecting on his robes blinding Feng Xin and making him close his eyes…

“I…the sunlight blinded me, I had my eyes closed.”

Xie Lian blinks and a small “Oh.” is all he manages to that. They´re locked in stalemate for a few seconds longer, looking at each other unsure of what to do next…before Xie Lian sighs deeply, his shoulders sagging, and lifts up his hand again, a silent offering for Feng Xin. He hesitates a second, then reaches for it, immediately getting pulled into a tight hug. Xie Lian´s face is muffled, pressed against his shoulder as it is but Feng Xin can hear the pain and self-loathing in it easily enough.

“..I am sorry Feng Xin. About everything. Not telling you properly. And…”, he hesitates again, voice barely audible, “…I didn´t think you would want me again. As a friend. I have changed so much and you hated me back then for turning into something horrible and shameful and you never gave me any indication that you –wanted- to still be friends, after. I mean, who would? I still don´t understand why Mu Qing does…or San Lang or A-Xuan. I´m not…anything anymore really, just an old relic of no importance. You´re General Nan Yang Zhen Jun with thousand of temples and followers, what would you want with a powerless God, collecting scraps? The only thing I´d do would be to drag you down and make you lose face in front of the others and-“

Xie Lian´s small yelp of pain interrupts his tirade as Feng Xin pulls on his hair, just a tad harder then would have been strictly necessary, the rough gesture immediately being softened by Feng Xin stroking said hair afterwards.

“Stop that. This is me having a breakdown here, not you…and why the ever loving hell would I care what anybody in the Heavens thinks about who I choose to be my friends? I have never given any shit about what these stuck up idiots think of me and I am sure as hell not starting with that right now.”

Xie Lian just buries his face deeper into Feng Xin´s shoulder, the warm droplets soaking through the fabric enough for Feng Xin to finally let go of his anger.

“LiLi, really, stop crying please I have no idea how to deal with it and –that- is a thing that surely has not changed over the last 800 years…”

He gets a small, wet hiccup for this and even if it is not the outright laugh or chuckle he had been hoping for using the old baby nickname from when they still were tiny and Feng Xin´s kiddie lisp had made it hard for him to properly pronounce Xie Lian´s name it´s still better then nothing. They hold each other for a few minutes longer, just allowing themselves to calm down a little before Feng Xin starts speaking again.

“Honestly though…I know a lot of things have changed and I know we haven´t parted on the best of terms and I should not have left you even if you told me to and I should have made some kind of move afterwards and yes, I am terrible at this, all this touchy-feely stuff makes me itch and not in a good way.”

That gets a small chuckle at least and Feng Xin smiles a tiny smile, face quickly growing serious again, steeling him to finally admit to all his old pains and hurts. He hated baring himself like this, he was shit at it, always had been but this was important and maybe his only chance still left. He pulls Xie Lian closer still, burrowing his own face into raggedy old robes, smelling of incense and flowers.

“But LianLian, never once in all these years did I hate you. I hated seeing what happened to you how you suffered and fought to no avail and I –hated- that I could not do anything to make you better. I could not make it rain or make the war stop or make that disease go away, all I could was watch you slip away between my fingers growing more distant every day, crumbling apart like a sand castle in the tide. And yes, sometimes I didn´t like you very much, it´s always easiest to blame the people closest to you for your hurts…but I never stopped loving you. You are my best friend Xie Lian, and I want you back so bad it hurts.”

His voice cracks on the last part, the tears threatening to spill over again and they both seem to need another moment after Feng Xin´s rushed, but heartfelt declaration, clinging to each other as if they were still children, woken up from night terrors. Feng Xin can feel his heart pound in his chest in something close to panic as he awaits Xie Lian´s reaction, the reaction to deeply ingrained to be subdued. If this doens´t give him a chance to get his friend back he is sure nothing ever will...

"Really?" 

Xie Lian´s voice is small but so full of something Feng Xin might dare call ´hope´that he has to swallow something tight in his throat again, the relief making his knees go weak.

"Really."

Xie Lian finally pulls away from him, wiping his face with his sleeves before a small, wobbly but honest smile makes his face go from ´pretty cute but nothing to write home about´to ´devastatingly beautiful´.

"Well...would you like to come over for tea then tomorrow? Just the two of us, I promise none of the others will appear..."

Feng Xin returns the smile, for once one without any underlaying sneer or derision, gently tucking a piece of hair behind Xie Lian´s ear. Maybe, just maybe they could manage to work this out.

"I would love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So FINALLY Feng Xin has met everyone in Xie Lian´s harem, hooray^^ poor boy needs a break honestly, especially after having to feel FEELINGs™ ;-) I´d say this part is done after this chapter but since I have no idea what my brain wants to maybe add later I´ll just, leave this here like this and we´ll see what happens ^^

**Author's Note:**

> And no I can´t apparently for the life of me write anything without anybody PINING...even though with Feng Xin it´s not really in a romantic way, it´s just hard to see the friend you love find their happiness in people that arent´you.


End file.
